Whiffletree-guard



(No Model.)

L. DIMOOK. WHIFFLETRBB GUARD.

No. 493,761. Patented Mar. 21,1893.

WITNESSES A TTORNE Y.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LUCIUS DIMOOK, OF LEEDS, MASSACHUSETTS.

WHlFFLETREE-GUARD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 493,761, dated March 21, 1893.

Application filed August 15 1892- Serial No. 443,180. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LUcIUs DIMOOK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Leeds, Hampshire county, State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Attachment to the Whilfletrees and Traces of Vehicles, of of which the following is a specification.

My improvements relate to a device adapted to be combined with the whiftletree and trace at the point where the. two are joined; and have for their object the provision of a guard to the joint which shall prevent the hairs of a horses tail from being caught and retained therein,.and serve also to prevent the trace from becoming detached.

The invention consists in the combination and construction as hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

My invention is fully illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure I. is a plan View of my device combined with the Whiffletree and trace. Fig. II, is an end view of the same. Fig. III, is an end view of the device combined with the trace alone. Fig. 1V, shows the device in the same position as in Fig. II; but with a modification in its form, and with the retaining button of the whiffietree in a different position. Fig. V, is a perspective view of the device. Fig. VI, shows the device and trace in the same position as in Fig. I, and Fig. VII, is the same as Fig. VI turned at right angles, and asection of the trace on the dotted lineazuc.

Referring to the drawings, B is an elastic, flexible shell, formed preferably of rubber perforated longitudinally to be crowded over the whiffletree end to embrace both the but ton O and shank D thereof, and perforated transversely to be forced over the end of the trace E, to closely hug the same.

In Fig. V. the longitudinal opening (1, and transverse opening b are shown.

The shell B may be formed of a solid block bored and cut to leave the openings d and b, or when rubber is employed as a material, may be molded as more particularly shown in Fig. V, to form a wall binding the whiffletree and trace by its edges, and leaving an intermediate part in the form of a web removed from contact with the whiffietree, to permit by the elasticity of this web the partial rotation of the trace upon the whiffletree without the necessity of the entire shell B rotating upon the whiffletree.

In Figs. IV, VI and VII, a modification not affecting the principle of the invention, is shown in the provision of a sleeve to the opening 1), for the purpose of adding strength to the structure.

In operation the device is first pushed over the end of the trace, as shown in Fig. III, until the hole It in the trace is centered, and then the trace is brought over the end of the whiffletree to bring the shell B to bear upon the shank D and button 0, it being immaterial in which direction the longer axis of the button relative to the trace, extends, as the flexibility of the shell, as shown in Figs. II and IV, enables it to form a close joint with the button at any angle; nor does the application of the device to the trace and whiffietree interfere with the action of the strap y, commonly used for keying the trace to the whiffietree through the hole .9 in the button-though it will be seen that the device is sufficient to prevent the slack of the trace,in going down hill, from permitting it to be detached.

This device constructed and arranged as described and shown, completely guards the joint made by the trace with the whiffletree, to prevent the hairs of a horses tail from catching therein and being pulled out.

During a summer season the looks of some valuable horses have been marred by the loss of hair from the tail, occasioned solely by the catching of the hair in the joints at the opposite ends of the whiitletree, which joints when they catch a hair hold it with the entire weight of the vehicle, so that the horse loses it in moving his tail, and as there is every reason to believe that the animal suffers to some extent in thus pulling outhis hairsmyinvention is in the interest of humanity as well as useful in maintaining the looks and value of the horse.

Now having described my invention, what I claim is- 1. A whiffletree guard consisting of a shell, convex in its central portion and tapering toward the ends so as to present a smooth surface, having a longitudinal passage of the general shape of the whiffletree and a transverse passage of the general shape of the trace (in cross section) said guard adapted to cover that part of the trace which attaches to the Whittle-tree, to prevent the catching of the 5 tail of the animal, substantially as described.

having an opening for the whifiletree and a transverse passage for the trace, and having an elastic web in proximity to the opening for the whifiletree and in position to bear on said 10 Whiffietree, substantially as described.

L. DIMOCK.

2. The whiffletree guard consisting of a shell Witnesses:

R. F. I-IYDE, JASON PERKINS. 

